Hold Your Peace
by Villain84
Summary: On the day of Ruby and Oscar's wedding, Weiss reflects her friendship with - and her feelings for - Ruby. Rose garden. Angsty, one-sided white rose. Some Bumblebee and Renora on the side. Written by a broken-hearted white rose shipper.


A beautiful spring morning in Vale. The sun was shining. Birds were singing. Rose petals were slowly drifting in the gentle breeze. This was the day that Ruby would marry the man she loved, Oscar Pine.

The two had grown close together on their journey together and the war against Salem all those years ago. Oscar would later admit he had a crush on Ruby almost since he first met her, and that those feelings only grew stronger as their journey continued, after all the obstacles they faced together, all the hardships they endured, all the times she had been his shoulder to cry on.

Some thought it was... creepy, that Ozma's soul was in Oscar's body, and that perhaps Ozma was using Oscar to get to Ruby, but Ruby knew that Oscar was his own person, that she loved Oscar, not Ozma.

Even after he admitted his feelings for her, and she said she had feelings for him as well, she knew they couldn't be distracted by a relationship while they were fighting Salem, so they agreed to wait until after the war before giving dating a try.

So much has happened throughout the war. Neo had stabbed Ruby in one of her silver eyes, severely weakening her powers. Thankfully, she was able to get a replacement robotic eye, one that could shoot a weak laser, which she was thrilled by. Most of the time, she kept this robot eye covered with an eye patch.

The struggle was long and difficult. At times, Ruby, Oscar, and their friends were not sure they could win. Things were always bleak. But in the end, somehow, they defeated their foe and saved Remnant. The Gods of Light and Darkness returned to Remnant and freed both Salem and Ozma from their curses. They were finally allowed to rest, and now the only soul residing in Oscar's body was his own.

After that, everyone went about their separate ways. Ruby and Yang returned to Patch and continued to defend Vale from Grimm. Oscar went back to his family farm. Weiss returned to Atlas to run her family's company. Blake returned to Minagere and lead the new Faunus movement she and her father had started. Jaune became a new professor at Beacon. Nora and Ren moved to Mistral and married soon after.

Ruby and Oscar kept writing to each other throughout the years, as did Yang and Blake. By now, Yang had married Blake, and moved in with her on at her home in Minagere. They were planning to adopt a child soon.

Ruby and Oscar would meet each other whenever they could and spend as much time together as possible. Until finally, one day Oscar finally surprised Ruby with a beautiful ring and asked her to marry him, and she said yes.

They gathered together all their friends for planning and preparations. Yang, of course, was the maid of honor. Weiss, Blake, and Nora were all bridesmaids. They had an insane Bachelorette party a few nights before the wedding (they vowed never to speak of what happened ever again).

* * *

And now, this morning, Vale's resident Church was packed with Ruby and Oscar's many wedding guests; both of their families, and all of their closest allies that they had met on their journey together and fought alongside of in the war.

Weiss, along with the other bridesmaids, had joined Ruby in her dressing room to brush her hair and get her dress ready, and give her some last-minute words of encouragement, and now the four of them were standing here at the alter, ready to stand at Ruby's side once more. Oscar stood there already, a handsome young man dressed in an elegant tuxedo. Jaune and Ren were his groomsmen, with Jaune being the best man.

At last, the great doors to the church opened, and Taiyang walked in, Ruby holding on to his arm, wearing the beautiful red gown her friends had helped her pick out.

It was funny for Weiss. Ruby always hated wearing dresses and high heals. It was hard to convince her to wear a wedding gown, and not a tuxedo like she had originally had in mind.

Taiyang and Ruby walked down the isle together as the organ played. They finally arrived at the alter as the song ended. Ruby released Taiyang's arm and took Oscar's outstretched hands. Taiyang took his seat in the pews in between Qrow and Raven. The priest, an elderly man with kind eyes, began speaking and performing all the necessary rites.

Weiss was not listening to what he was saying. She was lost in her own thoughts, thinking about the same person who had been on her mind all day - no, all week.

Ruby.

After the war with Salem, she and Ruby had kept in touch. They wrote to each other for a few months, and then when the CCTS was up and running again, they called each other once a week. As their lives got busier, one week turned into two, then once a month, then every two months, but they still kept seeing each other. They both wanted the other to remain a part of their lives.

Weiss always invited the rest of the gang to major events in Atlas; her concerts, fundraisers. And she was always happy to see them there whenever they could come, especially Ruby. Ruby was always the first one she would hug. And if she ever found herself in Vale on a business trip, she always made time to visit Ruby and Yang at their home.

It was hard to believe that the beautiful woman at the alter here was the same clumsy, awkward girl she met in the courtyard of Beacon all those years ago. She couldn't stand Ruby back then. She wanted nothing to do with that dolt. But then they were stuck together on the same team. They got to know each other. Their bond grew over time. Weiss had learned so much about Ruby. They had been through so much together. They had seen each other at their best and their worst.

And now she would follow Ruby to the darkest depths of Hell and back. She would never abandon Ruby. Never leave her to face danger alone. She'd take a bullet for Ruby if need be.

She felt so fortunate to have Ruby in her life, to call Ruby her best friend. Super besties, as Ruby put it.

The one moment she will always remember though, was all those years ago when they were in Atlas during the war, and had to confront her father. As Weiss knew he would, he tore into her, saying the most hurtful, degrading things imaginable. But Ruby... Ruby stood up for Weiss. Weiss will never forget what Ruby had said to him that day. No one had ever spoken to Jacques Schnee like that before.

No one had ever protected Weiss like that before.

That may have been the moment when Weiss had fallen in love with Ruby, even if Weiss herself did not realize it at the time.

Yes. Weiss had feelings for Ruby. These feelings had been there for a long time. Ruby made her feel safe in a way no one else could. Not Winter, nor Klein.

But Weiss knew Ruby didn't feel the same way. And that's why she was here today with Oscar. So Weiss kept these feelings to herself. She hadn't told anyone.

She remembered Oscar had accompanied Ruby to Weiss's events in Atlas. A small part of Weiss always felt jealous seeing him holding Ruby's hand, kissing her cheek, having an arm around her, dancing with her, doing God knows what to that great body behind closed doors. It hurt her to know that she would never do any of those things with Ruby.

Oscar had occasionally joined in on Weiss and Ruby's monthly calls. Weiss never showed it, but it bothered her when he did. Those calls were special, meant for just her and Ruby. How dare he force himself into them.

And then when Ruby announced their engagement and showed Weiss the ring he had given her, she put on a happy face, acted super excited and happy for them. But on the inside, a small part of her was hurt.

Yang had begun to cry. Blake put her arm around her to comfort her.

Weiss glanced at them. Blake and Yang were so happy together. They were living a good life together, a life that started with them being partners at Beacon. Maybe that could have been Weiss and Ruby.

Weiss could feel a couple of tears streaming down her own face, they were both tears of joy and sadness.

And then the priest said the line that Weiss had dreaded.

"If anyone knows any reason why these two should not be wed, speak now or forever hold your peace."

Weiss held her breath. She had to. She knew if she allowed herself to breathe, she might say something. She would derail everything, humiliate herself, and ruin Ruby's day.

Did anyone else have a reason? Would anybody else interrupt? Qrow? Yang? Taiyang?

These five seconds of silence were torture to Weiss.

"Very well then," The priest continued. "May I have the rings, please?"

Weiss silently and slowly exhaled through her nose.

That's it. It was done. It was final. Her last chance... gone.

Yang and Jaune both handed Ruby and Oscar their respective rings. Oscar slipped Ruby's ring onto her finger and began reciting his vows to her.

They say there is someone out there for everyone. Weiss kept telling herself she would find that someone; man or woman. Someone who loved her for her, and did not care for her money or status. Someone she could be happy with. Unfortunately, people like that in Atlas were rare, but Weiss believed if she stayed determined and hopeful, she would find that rare person.

What kind of life could she and Ruby have together anyway? Ruby couldn't stand Atlas. She'd never want to live there.

No. If they loved each other, they would not let Atlas get between them. Weiss was not really a big fan of Atlas either. She could easily purchase a home anywhere else in the world. She could do all her business work online and make the occasional business trip to Atlas when needed. Ruby would keep fighting as a huntress, protecting their home and the nearby villages from Grimm and bandits, and Weiss would fight alongside her whenever she could.

Kids? They could always adopt. There were no shortage of children in this world who lost their parents. Weiss would have been open to having a donor, maybe Jaune, or Oscar. How many kids did Weiss want? One? Two? Three? No more than three. And they'd even have a dog or two. Ruby would want her kids to follow in her footsteps, to protect others from Grimm. She'd want to pass on Crescent Rose as a family heirloom.

But such a future was not meant to be. Ruby was here with Oscar. She had already moved in with him on his family farm. He would spend his days working the fields, and she would help him when she was not out fighting Grimm. You cannot get closer to honest living than that. And then he will be the one raising a family with her, owning those couple of dogs. She would pass on Crescent Rose to a child she would have with him.

Now Ruby was reciting her own vows to Oscar.

Weiss would always be there for Ruby, and Ruby would always be there for her. She and Ruby would always be best friends. No. Super Besties. And Weiss could be happy with that.

The priest performed the final rites and said, "By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride."

Oscar and Ruby shared a passionate kiss. The organ played. The crowded pews roared with a thunderous applause. Yang was about to break down crying, and Blake was holding her. After the kiss, Ruby took Oscar's arm and the newlywed couple headed down the isle together, side by side.

So at the reception, Weiss will have a few drinks. Share a dance or two with Jaune and Neptune. She knew she could count on either of them for a good time. She would go back to her hotel room alone and cry herself to sleep, let out all her sorrow and self pity where nobody would see. On the flight back to Atlas, perhaps she would confide in Winter and Klein.

But she will survive. She knows she can survive being alone. She will keep moving forward.

**Author's Note: I've been a huge white rose shipper since V1. I thought I had accepted that it would never be canon, but lately whenever I see Ruby and Weiss together, knowing that all their interactions are purely platonic, I feel incredibly sad. Also V6 gave me a strong feeling that Bumblebee might become canon, and I figure there's no way BOTH White Rose AND Bumblebee will become canon together. Lancaster or Rose Garden are much more possible than White Rose at this point. I thought maybe writing this would help me cope with these feelings. If you love White Rose and have been having similar feelings, I hope this helped a little.**


End file.
